SEAT Leon (2005 - To Date)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Although the British public hasnt warmed to this version of the SEAT Leon in quite the way they did its predecessor, theres little doubt that its a very competent car and one thats well worth tracking down on the used market. Reluctant take up from new often spells used bargains and this Leon is an excellent example of these market forces at work.
Its worth reminding ourselves what a SEAT Leon actually is. Weve become very taken with hotter Cupra versions of the Leon over the years, but Britain is a special case, and in mainland Europe, its the more prosaic models that plump up SEATs profit margins. Therefore, theres a slight disconnect between how we perceive the Leon and how our European neighbours do. To us, a Leon is a snorting hot hatch that offers terrific value for money and Germanic build quality all wrapped up with a strong sporting pedigree.
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There had already been quite some controversy at how similar looking the Altea and Toledo models were, and now here was another model that would require serious scrutiny to establish exactly what SEAT we were dealing with. To make things worse, it wasnt clear exactly what advantage a Leon had over an Altea. All three cars were born from the same Salsa concept car under the aegis of SEAT design chief Steve Lewis and all three, rather unsurprisingly, run on the same platform. Although the tape measure shows that the new Leon is only around an inch taller than its predecessor, the base models have a definite MPV look and feel to them.
Its only with the sportier FR and Cupra models that the Leon begins to look convincingly racy. Perhaps that was the point.
You should be able to pick up a low mileage 1.6 Essence model for less than £8,500 and 1.9-litre TDI Reference models can be found for a bit under £10,000 with the plusher Stylance versions tacking another £1,000 onto these values. The cars that are in the biggest demand remain the 2.
0-litre Sport variants. The 2.0-litre FSI Sport retails at around £8,900 for an 04 plate car, while youll need £12,300 for a similar vintage 2.0-litre TDI Sport.
Insurance ranges from Group 5 through to Group 17.
Tried and tested engines, the VW-standard quality auditing and an inherent feeling of solidity all bode well for the Leons reliability. Having been on sale for such a short duration, its perhaps inevitable that no major faults have emerged, but watch out for neglected ex-hire cars. The Leon is a car where the price differences between good and bad examples arent too great, so be fussy. Look for a fully stamped up service history and reject anything that looks in any way tatty, grubby or vaguely dog-eared.
Give FR and Cupra models a particularly detailed inspection and ensure that theyve been run in quality synthetic oil.
(approx based on an Leon 2.0 TDI DSG ex VAT) SEAT spares are reasonably priced, with a replacement Leon headlamp costing £111. A replacement alternator unit retails at around £185 with an exchange starter motor setting you back just under £120. Opt for a new alternator and starter motor and the prices stack up at £370 and £226 respectively, so even if the old one is a steaming basket case, youll save by getting an exchange unit.
Front brake pads are £50 with rears a tad under £30 per pair. Many parts are a little cheaper for the 1.6-litre petrol models.
Underscoring SEATs broad targeting of the Leon, the range includes a number of engine choices. Diesel buyers will get to choose between a 103bhp 1.9-litre unit thats a little old fashioned and a 138bhp 2.0-litre that most certainly isnt.
The petrol powerplants open with a 101bhp 1.6-litre and a 148bhp 2.0-litre direct injection FSI but, to be frank, if youre going to opt for these engines, the Altea makes a smarter purchase. Move up the power table and the Leon starts to make all sorts of sense and SEAT wisely earmarked three engines to cope for us British bhp junkies.
First up is the 168bhp TDI diesel, while those looking for a seriously sporting drive will opt for the 200bhp FR model with its turbocharged 2.0-litre FSI engine or the 240bhp Cupra which used a tweaked version of that unit. SEAT worked hard at improving the chassis dynamics and benchmarked the best handling cars in the class. Given that the basic underpinnings are shared with the MkV Volkswagen Golf, its made of stern stuff.
Factor in an additional aluminium subframe for added rigidity and stiffer suspension and youve got a package thats significantly more able in the twisties than the previous generation car with its rather rudimentary torsion beam rear suspension.
The SEAT Leon is an extremely competent vehicle hobbled by rather unusual styling and SEATs decision to delay the launch of the much-vaunted hot models. Its still worth taking a long, hard look at on the used market and the 2.0-litre TDI Sport model remains the pick of the bunch. If you can get along with the looks, a late plate Cupra makes a very smart piece of business in the face of new rivals.
